Bumper



July 15, 1930.

H. s. JANDUS BUMPER Filed March 14, 1929 Patented July 15, 1930 V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERBERT S. JANDUS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL SPRING BUMPER CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN BUMPER Application filed March 14, 1929. Serial No. 346,846.

This invention relates to an improvement .in bumper construction and more particularly to the provision of suitable clamping means for connecting bars of a bumper. An object of the invention is to provide a suit-- able bearing plate to be used in conjunction with the clamping means for connecting the impact and auxiliary bars. A further object is to provide such a bearing plate having a surface adapted to receive a cupped portion of the rear bar. Further and more or less limited objects will be apparent from the following description, from thedrawing, and from the use of the articles covered by the appended claims.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 represents aplan view of the bumper utilizing my invention; Fig. 2 represents a section through the center of the bumper and the clamp plates attached thereto; and Fig. 3 shows a fractional rear elevation of the central portion of the bumper shown in Fig. 1.

In the following description the impact section of the bumper will be considered as the front and the terms front and rear? will be used in reference to such arrangement. It is not intended, however, to thereby limit the scope of. the invention to a bumper used at any particular position on the vehicle or to the particular arrangement which is herein shown and described relative to the impact and support bars.- 7

Of the reference characters indicating like parts on the several figures, 1, 1 indicate the impact bars of a bumper ofthe general type shown in Patent No. 1,372,154, granted to Allan L. McGregor, March 22, 1921. The ends of the impact bars are pivotally connected to the ends of the'rear or auxiliary bar 2 by means of the pins3, 3 passing through suitable eyes at the ends of the several bars. The central portion of the bar 2 is arched forwardly for connection to the central portion of the impact bars by means of a bolt 4 passing through an aperture in the arched portion of the bar 2. The portion of the bar 2 which is pierced to receive the bolt 4 is cupped at 5 to provide a section of increased effective thickness in order to compensate for the weakening at that point resulting from the bolt hole. This manner of.reinforcing the apertured bar is more fully described in the application Serial No. 162,150, filed J anuary 19, 1927, by Jandus and Flum, issued out of a single piece of metal so that the continuous edge7 willbear upon the rear surfaces of the impact bars 1, 1. vThe rear portion of the clamp plate 6 is depressed to form a curved surface 8 to receive the curved front surface of the cupped portion 5 of the rear bar. An aperture 9 is provided for the reception of the bolt 4.

The impact and rear bars may be drawn toward each other and against the bearing plate 6 by means of the clamp plate 10 having, projections 14, 14 and providing surfaces adapted to bear upon the front and edge surfaces of the impact bars 1, 1, the rear plate or washer 11 which is here shown as square and adapted to bear upon the rear surface of the rear bar 2, and the bolt 4. The neck of the bolt 4 is shown as rectangular and the aperture in the plate 10 is of similar shape to prevent turning vof the bolt therein. This result may also be accomplished by other v In assembling the bumper utilizing, this invention, the bearing plate'6 maybe placed between the impact bars 1, 1 and the forwardly arched portion 5 of the rear bar. The plate 10 may be applied to the front surfaces of the impact bars, and .the bolt 4 passed through the apertures in the clamp plate 10, the bearing plate 6 and the portion 5 of the rear bar. The rear clamp plate or washer 11 may then by applied and by tightening the nut 12 the impact and rear bars will be held in properly spaced relation.

The plate or washer 11 is preferably square in outline so that itcannot readily turn when the nut 12 is tightened, thus forming a relatively stationary seat for the lock washer 15 and the nut 12. If this plate is thin enough the tightening of the nut will cause it to curve slightly which curvature will further assist in preventing its turning.

The bearing plate 6 is described and shown as a stamping with a hollow inner portion, as indicated at 13. It is apparent, however, that this plate may be made solid or may be cast or forged to provide the suitable shape. If desired the plate 6 may have projecting portions in its edge 7 to perform the function of the projections 14, 14 in spacing the bars 1, 1 a suitable distance apart or to prevent turning of the plate 6.

The portion 5 of the rear bar 2 is curved to provide the additional reinforcement adjacent the bolt hole but it is apparent that the same result may be accomplished by using a channel-shaped section or a section of other shape suitable to provide the increase in the effective thickness. The surface 8 of the bearing plate 6 may be varied to conform to the shape of the surface of the rear'bar. It is also apparent that the rear portion of the bearing plate 6 may be cut out to provide suitably shaped bearing surfaces for the bowed section of the rear bar 2, instead of being depressed as shown in the drawing.

It is not intended to hereby limit the scope of this invention to the particular embodiment herein shown and described since it is apparent that it will be readily adaptable to other types of bumpers, or to other positions on the bumper where it isdesired to connect two or more bars, or that it may be utilized in other forms than that herein described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: r

1. The combination with an impact section and a resilient rear bar having a portion pierced for connection to the impact bar, and said bar including means whereby it is less easily deformed in the region of said portion than in other regions, of 'a stamping shaped to bear upon the rear surface of the impact section and to provide a depression for the reception of the front surface of the apertured portion of the rear bar, and clamping means for drawing the bars toward each other. I

2. The combination with a front bar and a rear bar of curved cross section to be connected thereto, of a bearing plate having a surface adapted to bear upon the rear surface of the front bar and having a curved surface adapted to receive the front curved surface of the rear bar, and clamping means adapted to draw the bars toward each other.

3. The combination with a pair of vertical 1y spaced impact bars and a rear'bar having an aperture therein and a curved cross section 3 adjacent the aperture, of a bearing plate havdraw said impact and rear bars toward each other.

a. The combination with a front bar and an apertured rear bar having its edges curved adjacent the aperture, of a stamping having edges adapted to bear upon the rear surface of the front bar and having a curved surface to provide a seat for the front surface of said rear bar, and means for drawing said front and rear bars toward each other.

5. The combination with a pair of vertically spaced impact bars and an auxiliary bar having its central portion arched forwardly for connection to the impact bars, said auxiliary barhaving an aperture therethrough for connection to the impact bars and having its edges opposite said aperture curved rearwardly, of a cupped bearing plate having edges adapted to bear upon the rear surfaces of said impact barsandhaving a curved surface adapted to provide a seat for the front surface of the apertured portion of said auxiliarybar.

6. The combination with a pair of bars adapted to be connected by a bolt passing through a cupped portion of one of said bars, of a plate spacing said bars apart and providing a curved surface for the reception of said cupped portion and means for drawing said bars toward each other.

7. The combination with an impact bar and 1 curved rear surface to receive the front surface of the rear bar, and means for drawing saidbars toward each other.

8. A hearin plate for use between bars of a bumper, said plate comprising a stamping having edges adapted to bear upon the surface of a bar and having a curved surface {go provide a seat for the surface of a second 9. A bearing plate for use between the bars of a bumper, said plate having edges each adapted to bear upon the rear surface of a bar'and having its body portion curved to 1provide a seat for the front surface of another 10. A bearing plate for a vehicle bumper,

said plate comprising a cupped stamping having edges adapted to bear upon the surface of a bar and having a depressed portion 'to provide a seat for the surface of a second bar.

11. A bearing plate for a bumper, said plate having a'flat surface on one side thereof adapted to bear upon the surface of a bar and having a depressed curved surface on the other side thereof to provide a seat for a curved bar. l

12. The combination with an impact section and a resilient rear bar having a portion pierced for connection to the impact bar, and saidbar'including means whereby it is less easily deformed in the region of said portion than in other regions, of a stamping shaped to bear upon the rear surface of the impact section and to provide a depression for the reception of the front surface'of the apertured portion of the rear bar, and clamping means for drawing the bars toward each other, said rear bar having a substantially uniform cross section throughout the central half thereof, said portion being centrally 10- v cated.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

HERBERT S. JANDUS. 

